<p>Our family of four plans to travel to NYC and see the Statue this spring. thinking of staying in jersey City/newport area; would like to walk around the monument but have divided opinion on bothering with the security lines to do,the pedestal. And we are getting conflicting input on the ferry from Liberty Park…first departure is at 9:30 but NPS says to arrive two hours early for security. really? yikes…have any of you been there in the past 5 years or so?</p>
<p>DH would like to see Ellis Island too, has family that came through there. I know much of it is closed from Sandy but can we reasonably expect to do both in a day? We have no intention of going into the city. And no naysaying the destination — my son has this on his bucket list and it was his turn to pick the spring long-weekend trip!</p>
<p>We visited this past summer, just a few days after liberty island reopened. We had tickets at 11am, got there super early, and went directly through security and right onto the ferry. Ellis island wasn’t opened at all yet but we would have loved to stop there if it had been open. We did the pedestal and the crown and loved it. The stairs weren’t bad and since fewer tickets are sold for those it was much less crowded with great views. You just have to explore the pedestal and then go up the crown–you can’t backtrack and we missed some stuff not realizing this. You also have to go through much more security to get into the crown—it doesn’t take long, but you really can’t take anything besides a camera with you. We also did the audio tour, visited the gift shop, took our time. There was a very long line for the ferry return trip (and it was July), and that was the worst part of the whole thing, but really it wasn’t that bad. We were back by about 2. I’m sure you could do Ellis island also in one day trip.</p>
<p>Funny - I just went to the crown this weekend - I have lived in NYC for 14 years and it was on my bucket list! So I arrived about 1115 for a noon reservation and just got on the next boat. You have to go through airport style security for the boat and then AGAIN on the island for the crown - seriously, I had to take my shoes off! That was annoying to go through it twice. I would def do it though - the museum is quite interesting. The crown was an experience - the stairs were narrower than I expected but it was worth it! I was back up town for an art class on the UWS by 3 so it didn’t take long at all. In December, of course :)</p>
<p>DH and I were just there last month. We departed from Battery Park, but I imagine it’s a similar experience in NJ. I don’t know how a spring visit would compare to one in November in terms of lines, etc. so I can’t speak to that time frame. </p>
<p>Our itinerary that day was a stop at the 9/11 memorial at 10ish. We secured our passes online prior to going. We stayed about an hour or so. There is a TSA like security line for this also. It went quickly. Belts had to be removed, but I don’t recall removing shoes. </p>
<p>From there we walked to Battery Park to board the ferry to Liberty Island. I think we had an 11:30 or so reservation. Again, did this online prior to the trip. The security line again was pretty quick. I don’t recall removing my shoes. We definitely did not arrive two hours ahead, and made our reserved time. </p>
<p>Our tickets were for the pedestal level. The security check was a bit slower on Liberty Island, but again, not bad. I believe the line for pedestal and crown ticket holders is the same. I do think shoes had to be removed here. Also, no food or drinks are allowed up in the Statue. The size of bag you can carry is also very limited. Lockers are available, but since we did not use these I can’t speak about them. The security team was sending people over to the lockers with larger bags and food items. </p>
<p>The ferry goes to Ellis Island prior to returning to Battery Park. We did a quick tour of Ellis Island. It was cold and rainy by that time so we didn’t really walk around much outside. Some of the exhibits were still closed, but I think we spent about 45 minutes or so walking around. Some of that time was spent just sitting down on benches :)</p>
<p>The worst part was waiting for the ferry to Ellis Island and from Ellis Island to Battery Park. Boarding and unboarding is extremely slow in my opinion and the ferry workers were less than friendly. </p>
<p>The Statue and Ellis Island are definitely doable in a day with plenty of time for other things. I would recommend you reconsider not going into NY and add the 9/11 Memorial to your trip. It’s within walking distance of the ferry in Battery Park.</p>
<p>The ferry runs between the Statue and Ellis Island, so I am assuming that there’s a return trip to the NJ side for those parked over there. We are going in March/April, on a weekend, so hopefully it won’t be summer-busy yet. </p>
<p>I have a near-phobia about mass transit, so going in to the city may or may not happen. Both my sons have been there multiple times, so I feel less urgency about seeing the classic spots there. DH and I, incredibly enough, drove around NYC all day , one day of our honeymoon a bazillion years ago. I was raised in the tiniest of towns, so it was quite something for me. But I don’t know what we were thinking , to just drive around. For hours.</p>
<p>There are a number of fun and interesting things to do in lower Manhattan that wouldn’t require going into the subways at all. Wall Street, Federal Hall, etc., in addition to the 9/11 memorial.</p>
<p>I haven’t been in the crown since I was in college so no advice there. I think Ellis Island is more interesting and while it’s not completely open sounds like there’s still plenty to see.</p>
<p>If the immigration themes of Ellis Island interest you, on another half-day you might also enjoy The Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.</p>